10 year anniversary thoughts

June 19th was our ten year anniversary (though we dated for nearly two years before that)! It's just hard to believe, but there have been quite a few changes since that day. Well, perhaps more than just a few...

June 19, 2004 at the Powderhouse Lodge

First we moved into the doublewide trailer near Terry's grandparent's house and really enjoyed living there. We got pregnant with Noah one month after getting married (we were not "ready" for that but it was God's perfect plan and we needed that baby!), Terry was printing t-shirts (anyone have any 2004 Hills Alive shirts? yeah, those are Terry's), I started my second semester of nursing school in the fall and I learned how to cook, with some help from my mom. Here's my first quiche in the trailer. It's one of our kid's favorite meals just like it was mine when I was little.

We only lived in the trailer a few months before we moved up to the "green house," where Terry had spent half of his childhood on the ranch. After another two semesters of nursing school, Noah was born and Terry started work at Black Hills Workshop. A year later I had graduated nursing school, passed my boards, started my first job at the hospital and Terry started a new position with the Workshop working with people with brain injuries. We were also helping with the youth group at church, First E-Free, and Terry was looking for a full time youth pastor position. We visited Gothenburg, Nebraska in the new year of 2007 and by that spring, April, we had moved there. 

Noah watching his favorite movie, Cars, while we moved out of the "green house" on the ranch to move to Gbrug.

To move away from home, family and church was a very difficult choice and time of life, but it was the right decision, one I do not regret now whatsoever. I can only thank God for that move. Those people in Gothenburg took the best care of us and God proved Himself beyond faithful. If only I could remember that! Here's the parsonage we lived in for three years and where we brought Evie home to. I started doing preschool homeschool with Noah here! 

This (below) was our very first trip to Wyoming for Terry's first disConnect trip. Terry carried two year old Noah all the way up Medicine Bow Peak and I was early pregnant with Evie. Terry has learned a great deal about being a youth pastor since he first started, as have I about how to support him.  Many, many, many more trips followed this one and I've learned (?) how to be without my husband. Okay, that's not true. I deal with being without my husband, but I never like it. It's really tough to do what we do. We have both grown a lot but the growing is not over yet. But I would say that he is simply wonderful at what he does. Everyone just seems to love him so easily.

By this time (2010) in Gburg I had started work part time at the clinic and we were about to buy our first house... I had even just had my appendix out days before this photo. Ha!

This house had been the senior pastor's parsonage and we bought it, fixed it up, brought Samuel home there, did Kindergarden for Noah there and had lots of students over. Gosh, we loved that house. It was wonderful. Noah just said, "Man, I miss that house." I miss it too, and all of our Gothenburg friends.

This photo was only weeks before we moved back to Rapid City, where we never thought we'd be again, but God brought us back. Just after we had finally settled, felt truly connected and at home, told students we weren't going anywhere, there we went. I simply don't know how military families do it. Really. How do you root up your entire life and all of your support structure and start over? It's so  incredibly difficult. I don't know how people do it at all without church. And even then, it's so hard. Or perhaps that's just me the introvert.

So we were back the spring of 2012 and moved into my Grampa's house while we searched for a house to buy, readjusting to a new position and life. And now two years later, I'm still adjusting and learning!

We chose the house that was as similar to our Gothenburg place as we could get and there we are today. We brought Ezra home to this house, fixed up the basement and are continuing on with life. More homeschooling (Noah and Evie will be 3rd/4th and 1st graders), more students over, more very slowly getting to know people, but at least we don't have to mow as much as in Gburg. :) 

 My, how our family has grown in ten years! How we have grown in ten years and how much we (I) still have to learn. The learning and trusting and readjusting just never seem to stop. You know, life is just a series of stretching experiences isn't it? I mean, one thing after another, there are always challenges. I am still learning what it means to really trust God to care for me and provide for my needs. Even though we live in a pretty cushy country and have a comfortable way of life, it is still very challenging. But I made the best decision I could in marrying Terry. I often wonder why he picked me. It seems clear to me that HE is the catch, not the other way around. I love that guy. And look what we've done together! I can't wait to see what the next ten years bring.